Salsa 101

Who would've thought that salsa and chile would've merited almost 15 minutes discussion at breakfast yesterday morning? Come to think of it, it's the topic of conversation anytime two or more of us in the house sit down to eat.

You have the basics:

There's salsa verde...a milder salsa which I've found to have a little more kick than what all the white folks back home are used to.

There's salsa rojo which is the hotter stuff.

And in most places around her there's salsa quacamole. It reminds me of the quacamole sauce they use at taco bell but better tasting. It's not thick but more of a liquified version of guacamole...like salsa verde with avocado flavor.

Then of course, there's just the standard pico de gallo. But this is what led to our discussion at breakfast this morning. I like my pico de gallo a little more on the chunky side and Sylvia likes all the parts cut up a little more on the bitty side. So, the big rush is to see who'll make the batch that will last for about a day or two...usually less. (Let's not even discuss how many tortillas we go through in the house during a week. Let's just say that we've gotten to the point of buying 4 packs when we shop for groceries and freezing 2-corn&flour...and we can hold out for another week.)

Then of course, there's the question of how many jalapenos to use and whether to keep the seeds or not. We have differing levels of picoso tolerance in this house. I tend to like things hot but probably not as hot as Pablo. Pastor J and Ali, I think, tend to like things on the milder side (still hot for the average white person) and then there's me, Oscar, and Sylvia in the middle...maybe more on the higher end of the spectrum.

I think the key is to sniffle but not have your eyes water. Sniffling's a good sign of picosoness...but if your eyes start to water or you cough uncontrollably, then you've crossed over into unsafe territory. Eating is no longer enjoyable, but has become a chore. You spend more time blowing your nose, clearing your throat and wiping your eyes than you do tasting your food. Not to mention the fact that you've probably seared off the majority of your tastebuds.

But, I can say that food doesn't taste as good without the sniffles.